‘Israeli MIT’ Triples Arab Enrollment in Decade
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
ByDaniel J. SolomonDecember 16, 2016
Despite a persistent divide in educational attainment between Jews and Arabs in Israel, Haifa’s Technion University has managed to triple the enrollment of Arab students over the past decade.
Referred to as Israel’s MIT, and reputed for its math and science talent, the Haifa school now has a student body that’s 20 percent of Arab origin, roughly mirroring the makeup of Israel’s own population.
University President Peretz Lavietold the Times of Israel that Technion had increased its number of Arab students by creating a new bootcamp for Arab students close to meeting the university’s academic standards, but needing some extra help.
“There is no affirmative action at all in the Technion. Not for any group, and not in any of the faculties,” boasted Lavie.
The bootcamp, for “Outstanding Arab Youth,” treats participants to a 10 month program in which advanced topics in mathematics, physics, English and Hebrew are explored. Those who graduate the program gain admission to Technion and receive subsidies to attend university. Eitan Wertheimer, a wealthy israeli businessman, is the bootcamp’s primary funder.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at[email protected] or on Twitter@DanielJSolomon
Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.
Free morning newsletter
Forwarding the News
Thoughtful, balanced reporting from theForward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Dive In
Fast ForwardAntisemitic memes fail to disqualify Elon Musk’s ‘MechaHitler’ bot from Department of Defense contract
By Louis Keene 2min read
Fast Forward‘The wrong message’: Jewish groups slam Brad Lander for divesting from Israel
By Jacob Kornbluh 3min read
Fast ForwardAntisemitism envoy post remains unfilled six months into Trump’s term
By Asaf Elia-Shalev 4min read
Fast ForwardTrump cuts made campuses less safe for Jewish students, says former Dept. of Education official
By Jacob Kornbluh 3min read
Most Popular
- 1
Fast ForwardTucker Carlson calls for stripping citizenship from Americans who served in the Israeli army
By Jacob Kornbluh 2min read - 2
Film & TVThe new ‘Superman’ is being called anti-Israel, but does that make it pro-Palestine?
By Olivia Haynie 2min read - 3
NewsMeet the Jews who helped elect Zohran Mamdani
By Jacob Kornbluh 7min read - 4
OpinionThis German word explains Trump’s authoritarian impulses — and Hitler’s rise to power
By Terrence Petty 5min read
In Case You Missed It
- Fast Forward
Antisemitic memes fail to disqualify Elon Musk’s ‘MechaHitler’ bot from Department of Defense contract
By Louis Keene 2min read - Fast Forward
‘The wrong message’: Jewish groups slam Brad Lander for divesting from Israel
By Jacob Kornbluh 3min read 
NewsExclusive: J Street spurns ADL in teachers union fight, saying its approach ‘demeans the meaning of antisemitism’
By Arno Rosenfeld and Jacob Kornbluh 4min read- Fast Forward
Antisemitism envoy post remains unfilled six months into Trump’s term
By Asaf Elia-Shalev 4min read
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at[email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.